Rogue Warrior

Nuclear issues aside, is there really any reason to revisit North Korea?

"If it's broke, you broke it, asshole!" barked Navy SEAL turned author Richard Marcinko at Rogue Warrior's recent unveiling in Las Vegas. He was alluding not to the game's producer, but to his own personal method for disciplining troops in combat. If its publisher's rhetoric is to be believed, Rogue Warrior (based on Marcinko's bestselling series of memoirs and novels) is an attempt to bring a new level of precision and authenticity to the tactical FPS.

Yet if the game is symbolic of anything, it's how central economically 'safe' franchise concepts are if mid-sized publishers are to survive this generation. Just as Saints Row plundered GTA for its HD inspiration, so this game borrows Ghost Recon's gameplay template and setting - a lot for Bethesda to pin its hopes on given the strength of Ubisoft's tactical shooter legacy.

Above: Notice the lack of furniture - will a HUD be implemented before release?

Stuck behind enemy lines in an imaginary conflict in North Korea, you play the hot-tempered Marcinko himself. Your overall objective is to make it through various groups of enemy troops to reach the US-friendly South Korea. You maintain full command over your unit through use of a strangely familiar trigger system, which you'll need to master to overcome panicky Korean infantrymen.